May 22, 1968 marks the date of the loss of USS SCORPION (SSN-589) the only other time in the nuclear era in which a submarine was lost, coming just over five years from the loss of USS THRESHER (SSN-593). SCORPION was returning from a Mediterranean deployment to her homeport of Norfolk, VA. Her loss, unlike that of the THRESHER, was not immediately noted–only when she failed to return from deployment and declared lost with all 99 on board on June 5th, 1968.<\/p>\n
Her wreckage was discovered later that year due to the work of Dr. John Craven and others from the Navy’s Special Projects Division and SOSUS groups. What is certain is that an explosion or catastrophic failure of some sort cause her to go down in 10,000 feet of water a few hundred miles off the Azores. What has not, nor will it likely ever be conclusively determined, is what caused that explosion. Theories have been suggested that it was anything from a battery fire, to a “hot run” torpedo and detonation, to an encounter with a Soviet submarine.<\/p>\n
What is certain is this–the sea is a very demanding environment, and a very unforgiving one.<\/p>\n
Sailors, rest your oars.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"